Regardless of the famous writer’s assertion, the stats for direct mail make a compelling point. Direct mail should be a part of your marketing mix, and here is a collection of 20 statistics that make the case:

Here's the Stats

1. 73% of U.S. consumers and 67% of Canadian consumers said that they prefer direct mail for brand communications because they can read the information at their convenience (Epsilon 2013 Channel Preference Study)
2. 62% of Americans and 63% of Canadians said that they enjoy checking the mailbox for direct mail. (Epsilon 2013 Channel Preference Study)
3. 80% of marketers surveyed plan to invest in direct mail in 2014, and 28% reported increases in their direct mail budget (Target Marketing Magazine, November 2013)

4. Direct mail is the preferred channel for receiving marketing from local shops (51%) and banks (48%). (Direct Marketing Association, October, 2013)
5. 74% of B2B marketers rate direct mail as very effective (Business 2 Community blog, January 2013)
6. 40% of consumers say that they have tried a new business after receiving direct mail, and 70% have renewed relationships with businesses that they had previously ceased using. (Journal of Marketing, January 2013).
7. The typical non-profit organization receives more than 75% of its total gifts through direct mail initiatives, compared to 10% from online initiatives. (Philanthropy.com, May 2013)
8. 21% of respondents cited direct mail solicitations as the prompt for their most recent gift. (YouGov.com, November 2013)
9. 66% keep mail that they consider to be useful. What they consider most important may actually be put on display, typically in the kitchen or living area. (2015 Royal Mail/MarketReach Study)
10. An average of 23% of mail is shared within the household. (2015 Royal Mail/MarketReach Study)
11. Direct mail drives online response – 92% respond with online or digital activity. (2015 Royal Mail/MarketReach Study)
12. Significant increases in ROI and market share growth occur when mail is used as a component of multi-channel campaigns. (2015 Royal Mail/MarketReach Study)
13. Direct mail continues to be used heavily, with a 43% share of total local retail advertising (BIA Kelsey)
14. Young adults, 24 years and younger, are among the most direct mail responsive (DMA/USPS, 2014)
15. 56% of customers find print marketing to be the most trustworthy type of marketing. (UK DMA)
16. The average American household receives 12.6 advertising mailpieces per week (USPS Household Diary, 2012)
17. In 2012, 55% of Americans surveyed reported that they read some or all of the advertising mail received, 24% report that they scan advertising mail (USPS Household Diary, 2012)
18. Higher income households indicate a greater intended response rate to direct mail advertising than lower income households (USPS Household Diary, 2012)
19. Direct mail remains the largest single direct marketing expenditure, followed closely by teleservices at $41.2 billion. (Winterberry Group, August 2013)
20. Four-fifths (79 per cent) of consumers will act on direct mail immediately compared to only 45 per cent who say they deal with email straightaway. (DMA, October 2013)

Convinced now? Add direct mail to your marketing mix and measure the results. Sphinx Business Solutions will help you with planning, design, and implementation. Let’s talk.

Care to read more about direct mail?

Why Direct Mail should be a Part of your Marketing Program

EDDM and Direct Mail for Business to Consumer (B2C) Marketing

Direct Mail for Business-to-Business (B2B) Marketing

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Sources:

https://www.multi-craft.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/2014-Direct-Mail-Stats.pdf
http://printinthemix.com/Fastfacts/Show/808
http://www.mailmen.co.uk/
http://compu-mail.com/blog/2014/07/17/25-direct-marketing-mail-statistics-2014/
http://beasleydirect-blog.com/tag/dma-2014-statistical-fact-book/
http://about.usps.com/current-initiatives/studying-americans-mail-use.htm